String ground?

darren wilson · #1 03-07-2003, 12:40 PM

I'm just wondering... is there any point to having the bridge (and strings) connected to the ground?

My main guitar is silent as long as i'm touching the strings or the bridge, but if i'm not, it buzzes quite a bit. That leads me to believe that the grounding is actually going through ME and not through my guitar cable as it should. Is this normal?

There's a wire that goes from the bridge studs to the chassis of the volume pot, where all the grounds get hooked into the grounding terminal on the output jack. Is this really necessary? Why isn't the hum being grounded via the cable?

frankfalbo · #2 03-07-2003, 01:25 PM

If you're not grounded, then the inverse happens. You are now an antenna for noise, and touching your strings makes them an antenna as well. It is absolutely necessary, unless your pickups and electronics cavity are so well shielded that you can afford not to. But that is rare. EMG claims they are so well shielded you don't need to, but I've noticed a difference in noise without it. The cable only shields your signal once it leaves the guitar.

Akhenaten · #3 03-09-2003, 03:32 AM

Maybe there's a split somewhere. Usually the ground to the bridge is done to the spring plate inside the guitar...never seen it grounded to the bridge studs. (Unless I misunderstood and that's your term for the spring claw.)

I usually send all my grounds to the back of a pot, then one lead from there to the ground on the jack. Kinda just helps me keep them in check, rather than trying to stuff them through a little hole in the jack's solder point.

darren wilson · #4 03-09-2003, 12:44 PM

Ankh: This is a guitar with a tune-o-matic style bridge, so i think the ground goes through to the bottom of one of the bridge mounting posts/inserts.

I just hate having to touch my strings to silence the guitar.

frankfalbo · #5 03-09-2003, 08:30 PM

If you don't want to have to touch the strings, then a complete shielding job over all the body cavities (on the guitar, not your body

) will give you the biggest advantage. There will still be a difference when you let go, but most of the shielding that your body is doing will be done by the foil. Shielding paint is okay, but foil is best. If you've never done it, obviously you have to ground the shielding tape and solder each piece to another piece to make sure you have a continuous ground across all the tape.

darren wilson · #6 03-10-2003, 12:33 AM

Thanks, Frank.

The guitar has a pretty weak coat of shielding paint inside the control cavity and aluminum shielding inside the plate. I was kinda hoping not to have to copper tape the whole cavity, but i think you're right... that's the best way to do it. The shielding paint is pretty mediocre.

Akhenaten · #7 03-10-2003, 05:26 PM

Doh...sorry about that...lol